The monthly meeting of the town’s Ordinance Committee was held via Zoom on Thursday, Oct. 9, with Councilor Seven Siegel (Committee Chair) and Councilor Lou Simms in attendance and Councilor Phillip Gagnon absent. The following current business was addressed:
Review amending the Land Use Development Code to allow for additional driveway curb cuts on low-traffic roads for accessory dwelling units: A motion was passed to send the proposed amendment to the Town Council for review.
Consider Form-Based Codes in part(s) of the Gorham Village Districts: Discussed.
Review amending the Streets and Sidewalks Ordinance to allow for overnight parking in village areas of the Town of Gorham providing there is no snow-removal parking ban in effect: A motion was passed to send the proposed amendment back to the Town Council with a recommendation for no action.
For review and recommendation from staff including Gorham School Department, consider creating a stand-alone ordinance or policy that would ban or modify the use of harmful pesticides on municipal facilities: After discussion, the Committee agreed to table the item for further discussion and evaluation.
Review and propose updates to the Solid Waste Flow Ordinance: After discussion, the Committee decided to revisit the ordinance with more direction for the updates.
Consider updating the Town’s Mobile Home Park Ordinance to consider restricting excessive increases in rent and fees and ensuring landlords invest in proper maintenance of property infrastructure on a regular basis, and report back to Town Council with recommendations: After discussion, the Committee agreed to gather more information and input from residents before proceeding with any changes to the ordinance.
The Committee also discussed the status of a number of items that had previously been referred for future meetings/actions. Regarding the matter of reviewing possible new school impact fees and reporting back to the Town Council with a recommendation, a motion was passed to recommend no action.
The Committee will continue discussion on the Form-Based Codes, Pesticide Policy, Solid Waste Flow Ordinance, and Mobile Home Park Ordinance at next month’s meeting, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13.
Complete Ordinance Committee agendas and minutes can be accessed at https://www.gorhammaine.gov/ordinance-committee